In Bandung, Indonesia in 1955, representatives of twenty-nine newly independent Asian and African nations met to declare the importance of Third World unity in opposition to European colonialism and Western imperialism. The Bandung conference had a tremendous impact on the peoples of the Third World, such that political leaders and intellectuals of the era spoke of the “Bandung spirit.” The conference was followed by the 1957 Afro-Asian Solidarity Conference in Cairo, Egypt.
Another great post, Charles. Incredible how much the mainstream narrative has ignored Dr. King's calls for economic and social justice and focused on the civil rights struggle. I'm intrigued by the idea of applying dependency/world-systems theory analysis to race relations in the US. I'd also add that the US black upper classes seem to be playing a comprador role, Moreover, the benefit from the postmodern identity discourse as it actually gives them preferential treatment (affirmative action, etc) while the larger impoverished black underclass still suffers from the legacies of economic exploitation that they have no interest in addressing.
Any comments on the 8th National Congress of the Cuban CP that is currently underway?
Thank you very much for your comment, Andrej. Yes, the mainstream narrative on Dr. King ignores his radicalization from 1964 to his assassination in 1968, including not only his increasing commitment to economic and social justice, but also his increasing appropriation of black nationalist and anti-imperialist formulations.
I concur with your comments with respect class differences and contradictory class interests within black society. I am trying to work through this phenomenon and to address its political implications for the next two or three posts.
The comprador role of the national bourgeoise sector that is fully subordinate to foreign capital in the neocolonial situation is analogous to what I am getting at. But it may not be precisely the same. In part because my thinking focuses on the political role of the black middle class, not the black upper class. I am not sure, but it may be that the black upper class is more like a well-off middle class, with a social base in the capacity of some black individuals to attain celebrity status. Black-owned capitalist enterprises, which emerged even during the era of Jim Crow, for the most part are not large; and I have not seen reference to their participation in the ideological and political debates today. I continue to reflect on this question.
With respect to the 8th National Congress of the Party, I only have the following comment. I have seen that international news coverage of the Congress has a tendency to obscure the difference between the state and the Party. The role of the Party is to educate and exhort; but the state decides on any course of action. The Party is a self-selecting vanguard political party. The state governs, and the highest authority in the state is the National Assembly of People’s Power, which is elected directly and indirectly by the people. The Congress of the Party is composed of delegates that are elected by Party members; it is distinct from the legislative branch of the states, which is the National Assembly of People’s Power.
Another great post, Charles. Incredible how much the mainstream narrative has ignored Dr. King's calls for economic and social justice and focused on the civil rights struggle. I'm intrigued by the idea of applying dependency/world-systems theory analysis to race relations in the US. I'd also add that the US black upper classes seem to be playing a comprador role, Moreover, the benefit from the postmodern identity discourse as it actually gives them preferential treatment (affirmative action, etc) while the larger impoverished black underclass still suffers from the legacies of economic exploitation that they have no interest in addressing.
Any comments on the 8th National Congress of the Cuban CP that is currently underway?
Thank you very much for your comment, Andrej. Yes, the mainstream narrative on Dr. King ignores his radicalization from 1964 to his assassination in 1968, including not only his increasing commitment to economic and social justice, but also his increasing appropriation of black nationalist and anti-imperialist formulations.
I concur with your comments with respect class differences and contradictory class interests within black society. I am trying to work through this phenomenon and to address its political implications for the next two or three posts.
The comprador role of the national bourgeoise sector that is fully subordinate to foreign capital in the neocolonial situation is analogous to what I am getting at. But it may not be precisely the same. In part because my thinking focuses on the political role of the black middle class, not the black upper class. I am not sure, but it may be that the black upper class is more like a well-off middle class, with a social base in the capacity of some black individuals to attain celebrity status. Black-owned capitalist enterprises, which emerged even during the era of Jim Crow, for the most part are not large; and I have not seen reference to their participation in the ideological and political debates today. I continue to reflect on this question.
With respect to the 8th National Congress of the Party, I only have the following comment. I have seen that international news coverage of the Congress has a tendency to obscure the difference between the state and the Party. The role of the Party is to educate and exhort; but the state decides on any course of action. The Party is a self-selecting vanguard political party. The state governs, and the highest authority in the state is the National Assembly of People’s Power, which is elected directly and indirectly by the people. The Congress of the Party is composed of delegates that are elected by Party members; it is distinct from the legislative branch of the states, which is the National Assembly of People’s Power.
Thanks again for your stimulating comment.
Charles
Thanks for such a thorough answer to my question. I look forward to reading about these issues in future posts!